Mia Kirshner

Playing women who led twisted lives and harbored dark secrets to perfection, Mia Kirshner displayed great emotional range in roles that often called on her to perform sexually charged scenes in films...
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Showcase
This is the first Bo-centric episode of the season. Anna Silk is back from maternity leave and feistier than ever. “Lovers. Apart.” is surprising because it focuses on characters that rarely get their own storylines. Lauren (Zoe Palmer) is still in hiding. Meanwhile, Evony the Morrigan (Emmanuelle Vaugier) is back with a vengeance. It looks like this episode, is focused on the Bo/Dyson/Lauren threesome and where they all are in the wake of Bo’s disappearance last season.
Bo &amp; Dyson
The episode begins with Dyson (Kris Holden-Ried) and Clio (Mia Kirshner) on the train having just missed Bo. It’s unclear where in the infinite number of dimensions Bo could end up jumping off a moving inter-dimensional train but that will not be explained later. Dyson is suffering from transcendental sickness which happens to normal people who dimension jump. Apparently, there are no booster shots, so consider this before making any trips to the fourth dimension. Clio is able to heal him and use a piece of Bo’s dress to track her.
Bo, loopy from hanging with Dr. Who, lands in an empty cabin in the woods. The house belongs to Ian Jenkins (Lochlyn Munro) a family man with a daughter, Julia (Chloe Rose), who is a bizarro version of Kenzi. It turns out this family has a secret. Bo tries to save bizarro Kenzi from her father who bears a disturbing resemblance to Scott Peterson. However, as usual, Bo is mistaken.
It turns out a body jumping Fae cleverly named Jumbee, is trying to kill every member of the Jenkins family. Bo leads bizarro Kenzi right to her. As ususal, Bo is conveniently rescued by Dyson. Bo, ridden with guilt, tries to stop Jumbee so she gets succubus-ing. When she steals some chi she ends up face-to-face with the mortal Jumbee (Neema Bickersteth). It turns out she was thought to be a witch, she’s actually an elemental Fae. She and her interracial lover are murdered and separated. Dyson and Cleo find their remains and Dyson and Bo recite wedding vows to put Jumbee’s soul at peace.
It’s a great moment for Team Dyson fans to see Bo and Dyson finally together. They may be part of a throuple with Lauren but something just feels so right about Bo with Dyson because they fell in love in the first episode. It’s also worth noting that Lost Girl does not shy away from diversity and having Jumbee as part of an interracial couple. Although, it would be helpful for the audience to know what time period she’s from. It seems to have elements that could tie it to slavery or colonial times which isn’t particularly clear. #missedopportunity
Clio inevitably betrays Dyson. However, Bo’s fried brain was healed by Jumbee so she royally kicks Clio’s ass because they don’t need her anymore. Apparently, unbeknownst to the audience, they’ve been on Earth in our dimension this whole time. It seems weird that no one took issue with Jumbee being a Fae and mating with a human.
Lauren
Meanwhile, at the Lace-front Diner, poorly-wigged Lauren is connecting with fellow waitress, Crystal (Ali Liebert). The two ladies bond, mostly because Crystal wants to get freaky with Lauren and in a huge surprise, she actually gets to. This is a new Lauren who isn’t scared to get a little wild. However, Lauren does get scared by a call to the diner so she hits the road. Crystal surprises her in her car and betrays her. However, in a bizarre twist of fate, Dyson and Bo drive right by not realizing Lauren is getting kidnapped. Oh Snap!
The Morrigan
Evony is back with a random eye patch. It looks like now she’s the MoRRRigan now. #badpiratejokes She looks like she has a renewed sense of purpose after being enslaved by Vex. She kills a few people with her power to inspire people to turn into puddles. She gets Massimo the Druid (Tim Rozon) to give her a new eye and reveals that they have a long history. Does this mean she will take advantage and take over Kenzi’s drug debt?
Best Lines of the Night
Bitch, I think your brain broke. - Bizarro Kenzi
When you’ve been in power as long as I have, everyone’s a child. -Evony
Don’t disappoint me like Chanel Number Goo, did. -Evony
[My Boots] might make this homeless person’s nightey thing your rocking look like an actual fashion choice. -Bizarro Kenzi about Bo’s Damaged Outfit
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Showcase
Things are shaping up to be interesting this season. So far, the entire Bo Rangers crew has been separated. Kenzi (Ksenia Solo) is shining outside the shadow of our favorite succubus, Bo (Anna Silk). It’s also nice to see everyone have their own unique motivations outside of the typical weekly mystery.
Dyson (Kris Holden-Ried) returns to the scene of the crime. Bo disappeared and Tamsin (Rachel Skarsten) drove him off a cliff. He stumbles upon a child-version of Tamsin (Ava Preston). It looks like Valkyries have near infinite lives and Tamsin has just been reborn as a snarky preteen. Kenzi spends the entire episode babysitting TamTam. It’s great to see the chemistry between them. It makes Tamsin a more likable character. She also accidentally flushes Kenzi’s stash of Jubilee cream. It looks like Kenzi is becoming an addict to sparkly Fae powers. Over the course of the episode, Tamsin grows into a teenager and it looks like she’ll be fully grown soon.
Dyson goes on the hunt for a tracker to find Bo. He ends up at a beauty shop. It turns out the Fae they’ve been tracking has been kidnapped by his girlfriend. Clio (Mia Kirshner) pops up at the right moment to help Dyson and Hale (K.C. Collins) but not before Hale gets wacked with a special perfume that makes him irresistible to women. This is ironic since he’s been super annoying with his pining over Kenzi. Luckily, it works and he and Kenzi share some hardcore making out.
Dyson’s search seems like a fool’s errand because Eddy (Benjamin Ayres) can’t help him find Bo because he’s been a prisoner for centuries. Clio pops up again, very sketchily, to help Dyson find Bo. Meanwhile, Vex (Paul Amos) aka Avatar, the Last Mesmer has been kidnapped by the mysterious Una Mens. It appears that their idea of bringing balance to the Fae involves a ton of violence and destruction. They are punishing Vex for the missing Morrigan (Emmanuelle Vaugier). They decide that as the last Mesmer he has too much power to live. He promises to get them Bo. He calls Clio and negotiates for Bo’s rescue.
The whole episode Bo is trapped on a mysterious train. When the spell broke last episode, it looks like her memory returned. She subdues the Wander’s random chambermaid and escapes from the train. This is great because the train subplot is pretty lame and uninteresting.
Lauren (Zoie Palmer) is living in Bumblef**k, Nowhere as a really bad waitress. Despite multiple doctorates, she can’t seem to bring plates to tables without making a mess. She also has an insanely flirtatious boss, Crystal (Ali Liebert). Crystal catches Lauren saving a Fae choking in the diner and Lauren spends the episode trying to remove the evidence. It looks like there’s some lady lovin’ in the near future.
Trick (Richard Howland) is being super sketch. It’s unclear what happened between him and Aife (Inga Cadranel) last episode but it ended with some blood on a photo of Bo. Hopefully, she will be around because she is one of the best characters on the show. However, since Cadranel is a cast member on Orphan Black, she may only be available for the occasional guest spot.
Kenzi’s Best Line of the Night
Shhhhh! It took like 5 Avril Lavigne songs to get Baby TamTam a ticket to playtime land. You wake her, Sk8er Boy, you’re dealing with her.
Predictions
It looks like Trick may not be as above board as we thought. The more we see Trick on his own the sketchier he seems. Could he be evil or even the Wanderer?
It looks like Kenzi and Tamsin are going to be besties. Hopefully, being raised by Kenzi Tamsin will become a snarkier member of the crew.
Dyson will inevitably save Bo but at what cost? Will his interdimensional escapades mean he’ll lose his powers or get killed?
This Una Mens cult will not fare well for the Bo Rangers. It looks like they want Bo, Kenzi and Lauren. They seem to be the big bad of the season.
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Showcase/SyFy
This season premiere has everything you could possibly want: action, dancing, a Star Trek cameo, scandalous revelations, and even a little cross-dressing. The only thing it doesn’t seem to have is the resident Lost Girl Bo (Anna Silk). Silk was on maternity leave because she just gave birth to a baby succubus human child. This season definitely looks like it will be a major upgrade from last season.
Kenzi (Ksenia Solo) starts snooping and she stumbles upon the Una Mens. They are an ancient sect created to enforce the Fae government, so basically the eldest elders. Given all the craziness that happened last season with Hale (K.C. Collins) being ousted as the Ash, and Evony the Morrigan (Emmanuelle Vaugier) declaring war against humans -- not to mention that whole Fae experiment lab subplot -- it makes sense. Luckily, it seems there might be someone cleaning up the writing because last season seemed a little sloppy.
Of course, Kenzi gets caught and despite her wit can’t get out until she reveals she isn’t human but Fae and then shoots out fireworks. Yes, fireworks! She has officially transitioned from token human to Jubilee from the X-Men. Sure, at times Kenzi can be a liability but geeks everywhere will shudder to think of her as the mutant superheroes’ lamest ally.
Hale continues to pine after Kenzi. But suddenly, completely out of nowhere, so is Dyson (Kris Holden-Ried). But what’s even stranger is it seems that no one even remembers Bo. Especially, when out of nowhere Aife (Inga Cadranel) arrives on Kenzi’s doorstep looking for her daughter. In a very cool, geektastic flashback, Kenzi’s lunch meeting with Aife mirrors her first meeting with Bo. Kenzi learns Aife’s memory has been tampered with. She asks Trick (Rick Howland) his advice but when he sees a photo of Bo his magical blood goes nuts.
It becomes clear that everyone’s memories have been altered. They need to track down a super special compass. Their only solution is to attend a Dark Fae party held by a collector Engelram (George Takei). Dyson goes to ask the new Morrigan Vex (Paul Amos). He blackmails Vex because apparently everyone thinks Evony died on the toilet (according to Vex).
Kenzi must go undercover at the event. It’s nice to see her on her own. Her relationship with Bo is great but it’s great to see her unique human abilities and her vital part of the group. However, with great power comes great responsibility. It seems her Jubilee makeover is because she’s getting help from The Druid (Tim Rozon) and he wants his money.
At the event, Kenzi stuns everyone. She takes Hale to the dance floor and showcases her amazing ballroom dancing skills. Solo was a professional dancer and even starred in Black Swan. Dyson gets hit on by a nymph (Mia Kirshner). Dyson cuts in and dances with Kenzi and Hale. Kenzie wins the attention of Engelram who is a wish granter. She gets the compass but then he wants to eat her. Haven’t these people learned that Dark Fae can’t be trusted?
Vex arrives on the scene and gets into an epic fight with Dyson and Hale. Dyson and Kenzi take on the Engleram who not only has a murderous tale but snake puns as bad as Arnold Schwarzenegger in Batman &amp; Robin. They succeed in returning everyone’s memories. However, at that same moment in a bad part of town Aife and Trick have met for the first time in hundreds of years and girlfriend has a knife!
The episode ends with Lauren (Zoie Palmer) regaining her memories. Her bad wig and nametag reveal that she’s undercover and on the run. Dyson is still searching for Tamsin (Rachel Skarsten) because she was the last to see Bo alive. Meanwhile, two eyes open and we see Bo’s signature baby blues.
Best Lines of the Episode
This is so Raiders [of the Lost Ark] Here's hoping this Ark contains less Nazi face-melting goodness. - Kenzi during her stakeout
Kind of a dude's name am I right? - Kenzi in response to Bo's name
It's true there's no record or physical indications I've given birth. Though a succubus' body is her weapon so there would be no wear and tear, so to speak. Would you like to see for yourself? - Aife
Scanning for stretchmarks ... Pass. - Kenzi in response to Aife
Evanescence! -Vex in response to Hale’s powers
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The Black Dahlia star is fuming over reports the two men, Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza, were detained after they wed in December (09), because gay marriage is currently illegal in the country.
The pair is reportedly set to go to trial this week (beg17May10) and face up to 10 years imprisonment and hard labour.
And Kirshner, who runs charity organisation I Live Here Projects in Malawi, is disgusted by the way the couple has been treated.
In an open letter published on The Huffington Post website, she writes, "At first, I chose to refrain from writing about this, in fear that my position would risk our whole program being shut down in Malawi - my views are in conflict with the law. I can and will no longer be silent.
"I am angry. I am angry because the right to marry is the choice of an individual rather than a state... I am angry because I know it's hard to find love in the world and no one should ever stand in love's way. I am angry because no one should be asked to have relationships in secret. I am angry that so many are forced into the closets, furthering shame and stigma. What I know is true is that there is no shame in being gay. Love does not understand gender. These two men did something brave. They spoke up and they spoke out."
And Kirshner is urging fans to sign a petition to call for their release, adding: "I ask that the international community of activists, the United Nations, politicians in Malawi and international human rights lawyers speak up and help these men.
"You can take action right now. Sign this petition to encourage the United Nations Human Rights Council and the United Nations Development Program to pressure Malawi to forgo (sic) this trial and release these innocent men."

Georgina (Heather Graham) is a 30-something Brit who worries that the impending onset of early menopause means she will never be able to give birth something she is itching to do. Unfortunately Zak (Tom Ellis) her boyfriend of six years is not ready to be a father. This causes a major conflict in their relationship forcing him to move out while she commiserates with best friend Clem (Mia Kirshner) and gay pal Justin (Orlando Seale). When she is given (false) reason to believe Zak has started playing around with an associate she takes it as license to begin a desperate four-day quest to find a man--ANY man--to get her pregnant before its too late. This leads her to fertility clinics nightclubs the Internet funerals strip clubs--even her own employees at the construction company she runs. She even resorts to a turkey baster at one point exclaiming “I can’t believe the potential father of my child is a kitchen utensil” (we’re not making this up!) Will she get pregnant? Will she and Zak get back together? If you don’t know the answer you have never taken Romantic Comedy 101. Milwaukee-born Graham pulls a Renee Zellweger and dons a British accent á la Bridget Jones to play a woman whose maternal instincts are on overload and biological clock running out. Graham is an attractive actress who has never gotten her due but she won’t be getting it here playing a character who is so silly and clueless that you wonder why her boyfriend even bothered to stick around six years in the first place. We’d like to root for Graham but the sheer shrillness and single-mindedness of Georgina is so annoying it’s hard to imagine any woman being able to identify with her especially as she is willing to let just about any Tom Dick or hairy guy help her conceive the child she says she craves. So much for bringing a kid into a healthy environment! Ellis as Zak is not given much to do except look perplexed (we feel your pain) while another non-Brit Mia Kirshner (Showtime’s The L Word) does her best British impression in the standard best friend role. Everyone else is pretty much one dimensional stereotypes used as props in her quest for motherhood at any cost. There is a germ of a decent idea in Miss Conception that should have played as an all-out raunchy over-the-top comedy. But director Eric Styles seems more interested in doing a Four Weddings and a Funeral/Bridget Jones Diary-style flick which just doesn’t ring true in any sense of the word--and the “words” these actors are given don’t help the cause. “Women have needs and I need these needs to be tended to ” Graham whines to a potential donor. Oy. The recent Baby Mama proved that a similar concept could make a smart funny comedy but Miss Conception just doesn’t gel in any way shape or form. What Styles doesn’t seem to get is that we all know how a romantic comedy ends up but it’s how we get to that point that matters. This thing is a 103-minute chore to endure both for it’s target female audience and any poor guy dragged along. Its distributor is giving it only a limited release in theatres on a quick route to basic cable DVD hotel rooms and airplanes. If it turns up on your flight we suggest sitting next to the closest emergency exit.

A fictional fever-dream mystery crafted loosely from the notorious still-unsolved 1947 murder of wayward wannabe starlet Elizabeth Short (Mia Kirshner) the tale teams two rising L.A. police detectives whose bone-crunching boxing bout give them political juice—Mr. Ice cool young Dwight “Bucky” Bleichert (Josh Hartnett) and Mr. Fire hotheaded veteran Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart). Both men become embroiled in and obsessed with the sick horrific crime even as Dwight falls hard for Lee’s victimized world-weary live-in love Kay Lake (Scarlett Johansson)—with Lee’s unspoken approval: he’s too busy spiraling downward into a psychotic fixation with solving the murder having previously lost his sister to foul play. But Dwight’s also led astray by the more carnal temptations of voracious Madeline Sprague (Hilary Swank) the daughter of a bizarre high-society family with her own shadowy connections to the Dahlia. Sordid subplots abound simmering and swirling as in death the Black Dahlia threatens to suck everyone into an ever-widening abyss. Not entirely an epic of miscasting the film nevertheless falls short finding performers to essay Ellroy’s compelling cast: Hartnett demonstrates more depth here than in most previous efforts but comes fathoms short of the necessary mix of drive and angst to suit the complex role. Although she physically conveys a maturity beyond her years Johansson shows none of the wounded wisdom of the novel’s Kay—her seductive ethereal air would with an ebony dye job have served her far better as the Dahlia herself a cipher who becomes in the eyes of those obsessed with her whatever they dream her to be. Conversely Kirshner delivers in that elusive spectral role but the been-around-the-block-one-too-many times faded glint in her eyes would have made her a much more involving Kay. Eckhart has the spit and polish of a political-minded cop down pat but lacks the self-destructive inner fire that fuels the façade. Swank is mostly delightful by degrees—many of her choices are intriguing occasionally outrageous and give her femme fatale needed dimensions but others are overindulged. There are certainly macabre grand guignol moments in the story that make it more akin to Sunset Boulevard than its more obvious comparison Ellroy’s own L.A. Confidential but De Palma—never known for his subtlety—handles them with such an overt determined campiness any wry irony is wrung from them. The result is more of a parody—indeed an unflattering caricature—than a modern commentary on classic noir style. Add in his ceaseless camera-swooping swipes from Hitchcock and his ongoing fixation with meaningless gore—ham-fisted homages and hemorrhaging hemoglobin to ape Ellroy’s alliterative gossip-rag riffs—that distract from the intensity of the source material and all that remains is a bloody shame.

Actor Carlos Bernard found himself in trouble after a prank to arrest 24 co-star Mia Kirshner held up filming and cost producers a fortune.
Bernard, who plays Tony Almeida in the hit drama series, thought it would be funny to report Kirshner as a marijuana user to cop pals and have them arrest her on the set.
But Kirshner and producers weren't laughing when the police officers took the practical joke too far and insisted the actress accompany them to their local station. Bernard then staged a fake fight with the cops, which left Kirshner distraught and unable to film scenes with her joker co-star for hours.
The actor recalls, "The whole day was made up of scenes between Mia and me, which meant a lot of money lost, so the producers were kind of losing it... Our director almost had a heart attack. It was a fun day at the office."
But 24 star Kiefer Sutherland was among those who didn't see the funny side of the prank. He adds, "He (Bernard) had two police officers arrest Mia Kirshner for allegedly smoking marijuana outside her dressing room.
"As they went to take her away, Carlos got in a fight with the two officers about what he thought they should be doing in protecting the city. The director stepped in to separate Carlos from the police, and he really did lose it."
The cameras rolled as the prank went wild and now cast and crew have the whole drama on film. A set source says, "Mia was shaken up at the time but I think she's sees the funny side of her arrest now, and, for the record, she doesn't smoke pot on the set."
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Top Story:
With a tagline that reads "Steal All You Can Steal," it was bound to set off sparks. Miramax's Buffalo Soldiers, a satire about corruption on American military bases, is set to bow in theaters July 25, but its humor is being lost on military representatives and right-wing consumers who have sent complaints about the movie's negative depiction of U.S. Army conduct to Miramax and corporate parent Disney. Helmed by Australian director Gregor Jordan, the film stars Joaquin Phoenix as a wily Army clerk running a profitable sideline in black-market heroin and arms dealing. According to Variety, when Buffalo Soldiers screened at Sundance in January, an audience member was so incensed by Jordan's views on the military during a post-screening Q&amp;A that he threw a bottle at the director, narrowly missing Anna Paquin, one of the film's stars. Miramax acquired the film at the Toronto Film Festival on Sept. 10, 2001, but held back on the film's release after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Steve Harvey Claims Black Actors Make Less
While promoting his WB fall series Steve Harvey's Big Time, actor-comedian Steve Harvey told TV critics at a meeting of the Television Critics Association that advertisers pay less for programs that attract black audiences--even when the ratings are equal to or better than those of other shows, The Associated Press reports. According to Harvey, advertisers reason that it is easy to reach blacks across the television dial because they are among TV's more trusty customers. Jamie Kellner, WB's chairman and chief executive officer, agreed: "There is a truth in what he's saying, that advertisers are trying to find people that they can't get easily. And they do pay a premium for those people."
Beals Takes Lesbian Role
Jennifer Beals, who rose to fame with the 1983 movie Flashdance, will play a lesbian in the upcoming Showtime television series The L Word. But the straight actress told the Television Critics Association that the question of her sexuality has come up since the show started filming. "What becomes interesting is to think about how easy it is for a heterosexual actress or actor to play someone who is homosexual, how that's somehow permissible, but for a homosexual to be out and portray a homosexual character it becomes sort of much more problematic for an audience to accept." The L Word, which also stars Pam Grier and Mia Kirshner, debuts in January.
Buena Vista's Compay Dead at 95
Cuba's Compay Segundo, the frontman for the Buena Vista Social Club group known for his trademark Panama hat, died Sunday of kidney failure at his home in Miramar, Havana, Reuters reports. He was 95. Segundo, whose real name was Francisco Repilado, won a Grammy Award in 1997 for the album Buena Vista Social Club, which was produced by American guitarist Ry Cooder. The group gained further recognition with the release of German director Wim Wenders' 1999 documentary Buena Vista Social Club. Segundo gave concerts until May this year, when his health deteriorated.
Jazz Luminary Benny Carter Dies
Legendary jazz pioneer and big-band leader Benny Carter died on Saturday at Cedars Sinai hospital in Los Angeles at the age 95. According to Reuters, a family friend said Carter had been hospitalized for about two weeks after complaining of bronchitis and fatigue. In a career that spanned seven decades, Carter was one of the first black composers and arrangers to work on mainstream Hollywood films such as Stormy Weather and played with jazz stars such as pianist Willie "The Lion" Smith, Fats Waller, Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie. He is also credited with launching Ella Fitzgerald's career by introducing her to bandleader Chick Webb. He is survived by his wife, Hilma, a daughter, Joyce Mills, a grandchild and a great grandchild.
Role Call: Schwarzenegger in Big Sir, Diaz and Carrey Reunite
Arnold Schwarzenegger is in negotiations to star in New Line Cinema's family comedy Big Sir. The Terminator star also has the sci-fi remake Westworld on his acting slate and is developing a sequel to Conan the Barbarian, to be produced by Larry and Andy Wachowski ... Cameron Diaz and Jim Carrey, who starred together in 1994's The Mask, will reunite for Columbia Picture's remake of the 1977 comedy Fun With Dick and Jane. Joel and Ethan Coen will rewrite the screenplay for director Barry Sonnenfeld.

Changing Lanes swerved into first place, opening to a fast $17.6 million.
Panic Room locked up second place with $11.3 million. The Sweetest Thing kicked off third with a tasty $10 million.
Ice Age was barely thawing in fourth place with $8.7 million. The Rookie was a hard running fifth with $8.1 million. Frailty, the weekend's other wide opening, tied for eighth with a frail $4.2 million.
With little excitement in the marketplace, key films--those grossing $500,000 or more--tumbled from their recent summer-like levels. This weekend's $92 million total was down about 13 percent from the previous weekend's $105.5 million. Business was up nearly 8 percent from last year's $85.3 million for what was Easter Weekend 2001.
THE TOP TEN
Paramount's R rated road rage drama Changing Lanes found first place parking, pushing the April box office speed limit with an ESTIMATED $17.55 million at 2,613 theaters ($6,716 per theater).
Changing Lanes' average per theater was the highest for any film playing in wide release this weekend.
Directed by Roger Michell, it stars Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson.
"We're very happy," Paramount distribution president Wayne Lewellen said Sunday morning. "It's on the high end of what we thought it would be. We were looking at $15-18 million."
Lewellen pointed out that Changing Lanes' opening is one of the best ever for an April arrival. "In the month of April, the largest opening ever was Life, which opened in '99 (the weekend of Apr. 16-18) to $20.4 million," he said. "Then you had Lost In Space at $20.1 million, Entrapment at $20.1 million, U-571 at $19.6 million, Indecent Proposal at $18.3 million and then this one at $17.6 million. So April is not a booming month (for openings)."
Looking at Changing Lanes' opening, Lewellen noted, "It's actually performed the way the research said (it would). It played across pretty much all demos equally. That is, it showed relatively the same interest and first choice across the board--a little stronger in older female (over 25). And that's pretty what we got. It had a very strong African-American attendance."
Columbia's R rated thriller Panic Room was still putting up strong resistance in its third week, down one peg to second place with an ESTIMATED $11.3 million (-38%) at 3,119 theaters (+66 theaters; $3,623 per theater). Its cume is approximately $74.1 million, heading for $100 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by David Fincher, it stars Jodie Foster.
"A less than 40 percent drop two weeks in a row for this wide a run and at this nice high level is certainly a sign of continued strength that we hope will get us to $100 million," Sony Pictures Entertainment worldwide marketing &amp; distribution president Jeff Blake said Sunday morning.
Sony also launched its first international openings for Panic Room this weekend to impressive results. "It was sensational," Blake noted. "We were number one in eight out of eight openings."
Panic Room took hold in Australia, Spain, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Holland and in Scandinavia (Sweden, Denmark and Finland).
"It opened this weekend to really tremendous results. We obviously beat all comers in all markets. The markets will continue to roll out with Japan opening this week and the U.K. opening the first week in May."
Focusing on the impact internationally of a strong domestic opening such as Panic Room had when it kicked off to $30.1 million in late March, Blake observed, "I happened to be traveling (abroad) for the last two weeks and every market I went to was aware of the great results out of the U.S. It certainly seeps into both the public consciousness and the exhibitor consciousness all over the world."
Columbia's R rated romantic comedy The Sweetest Thing opened in third place to a semi-sweet ESTIMATED $10.0 million at 2,670 theaters ($3,745 per theater).
Directed by Roger Kumble, it stars Cameron Diaz, Christina Applegate and Selma Blair.
"Young girls in their high teens and 20s were the strongest audience," Sony's Jeff Blake said. "The nice surprise was that young males liked it as well as the young females. We hope that as really one of the few comedies in the market we can hang in there."
20th Century Fox's PG rated animated feature Ice Age slipped one peg to fourth place in its fifth week, still frozen solid with an ESTIMATED $8.7 million (-36%) at 3,011 theaters (-189 theaters; $2,889 per theater). Its cume is approximately $151.8 million, heading for $175 million or more in domestic theaters.
Directed by Chris Wedge, it features the voices of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Denis Leary.
"It's holding wonderfully," Fox distribution president Bruce Snyder said Sunday morning, "especially (considering that) The Rookie is still in the market doing business to families and so is Clockstoppers."
Buena Vista/Disney's G rated family appeal baseball drama The Rookie fell one base to fifth place in its third week, still showing great legs with an ESTIMATED $8.1 million (-30%) at 2,520 theaters (-4 theaters; $3,234 per theater). Its cume is approximately $45.4 million.
Directed by John Lee Hancock, it stars Dennis Quaid.
20th Century Fox and Regency Enterprises' PG-13 rated thriller High Crimes fell four rungs to sixth place in its second week with a slower ESTIMATED $8.01 million (-43%) at 2,747 theaters (+30 theaters; $2,914 per theater). Its cume is approximately $25.5 million, heading for $40 million or more.
Directed by Carl Franklin, it stars Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman.
Paramount and Nickelodeon Movies' PG rated time travel adventure Clockstoppers held on to seventh place in its third week with an okay ESTIMATED $4.77 million (-35%) at 2,512 theaters (-51 theaters; $1,897 per theater). Its cume is approximately $28.2 million, heading for $40 million-plus in domestic theaters.
Directed by Jonathan Frakes, it stars Jesse Bradford, Paula Garces, French Stewart, Michael Biehn and Robin Thomas.
"We're still $12 million or so away from the (projected) $40 million, but these kind of films have sort of an extended life in matinee business," Paramount's Wayne Lewellen said Sunday morning. "We find that to be true with all of the family (product). They hang on."
Artisan Entertainment's R rated youth comedy National Lampoon's Van Wilder, which was sixth last week, tied for eighth place in its second week with a less funny ESTIMATED $4.2 million (-43%) at 2,104 theaters (+82 theaters; $1,996 per theater). Its cume is approximately $13.8 million, heading for $20 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Walt Becker, it stars Ryan Reynolds and Tara Reid.
"We're figuring it's going to top out at $20 million, which for us will be successful because we made the film for between $5-6 million," Artisan domestic theatrical distribution president Steve Rothenberg said Sunday morning.
"These R rated comedies always do extraordinarily well in video. Kids who are 13, 14 or 15 go to a movie theater and cannot get into (R rated films if) they're not accompanied (by an adult). Yet they can go to the local (video store) three months later when it's out and rent it with no questions asked. These films typically over perform versus box office when they go to video. So we're very optimistic about it doing very, very well on the video side."
Lions Gate Films' R rated horror genre film Frailty kicked off quietly in a tie for eighth place with an ESTIMATED $4.2 million at 1,497 theaters ($2,806 per theater).
Directed by Bill Paxton, it stars Paxton and Matthew McConaughey.
Rounding out the Top Ten was New Line Cinema's R rated vampire thriller Blade 2, which was fifth a week earlier, in its fourth week with a dull ESTIMATED $4.1 million (-45%) at 2,174 theaters (-387 theaters; $1,886 per theater). Its cume is approximately $73.7 million, heading for $80 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Guillermo Del Toro, it stars Wesley Snipes.
OTHER OPENINGS
This weekend also saw the arrival of Fine Line Features' R rated comedy Human Nature with an unexciting ESTIMATED $0.31 million at 224 theaters ($1,385 per theater).
Directed by Michael Gondry, it stars Tim Robbins, Patricia Arquette, Rhys Ifans and Miranda Otto.
Lions Gate Films PG-13 rated comedy thriller The Cat's Meow opened to an encouraging ESTIMATED $0.11 million at 11 theaters in New York and Los Angeles ($10,000 per theater).
Directed by Peter Bogdanovich, it stars Kirsten Dunst, Eddie Izzard, Edward Herrmann, Cary Elwes, Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Tilly.
"We'll be expanding Cat's into the Top Ten markets on Apr. 26 and then nationwide on May 3, so we're very optimistic about that," Lions Gate Films president Tom Ortenberg said Sunday.
TriStar's R rated drama New Best Friend arrived to an unfriendly ESTIMATED $27,000 at 100 theaters ($270 per theater).
Directed by Zoe Clarke-Williams, it stars Mia Kirshner, Meredith Monroe, Dominique Swain and Taye Diggs.
SNEAK PREVIEWS
There were no national sneak previews this weekend.
EXPANSIONS
On the expansion front this weekend IFC Films' unrated erotic drama Y Tu Mama Tambien went wider in its fifth week with a less arousing ESTIMATED $1.0 million (-14%) at 194 theaters (+14 theaters; $5,225 per theater). Its cume is approximately $4.5 million.
Directed by Alfonso Cuaron, it stars Maribel Verdu, Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna.
USA Films' R rated romantic comedy Monsoon Wedding added theaters in its eighth week with a still spicy ESTIMATED $0.64 million (-10%) at 162 theaters (+12 theaters; $3,945 per theater). Its cume is approximately $6.2 million.
Directed by Mira Nair, it was produced by Nair and Caroline Baron.
United Artists' reissue of The Last Waltz went wider in its second week via MGM with an ESTIMATED $34,000 at 6 theaters (+5 theaters; $5,725 per theater). Its cume is approximately $69,000.
Directed by Martin Scorsese, Waltz is a musical documentary about the final concert of The Band.
INTERNATIONAL
Universal's international division reported Sunday morning that in Argentina A Beautiful Mind was number one with $45,000 (-10%) on 50 playdates. E.T. moved up three pegs to sixth place with $17,000 (+13%) on 50 playdates.
Panic Room opened in first place in Australia with $1.1 million on 200 playdates. Time Machine opened number two with $0.65 million on 183 playdates. A Beautiful Mind is fourth in its 6th week with $0.36 million on 230 playdates. The Scorpion King opens next Thursday.
In Brazil, A Beautiful Mind is third with $0.2 million (-20%) on 156 playdates. K-Pax, which Universal is releasing in Brazil, opened fourth with $60,000 on 55 playdates. E.T ranked tenth with $35,000 (-14%) on 159 playdates.
A Beautiful Mind was fourth in Germany with $0.63 million (-26%) on 355 playdates. Spy Game finished eleventh with $0.2 million (-49%) on 230 playdates. E.T was 14th with $0.14 million (-30%) on 538 playdates.
In Spain, E.T had a two day gross of $0.14 million (-35%) on 250 playdates. A Beautiful Mind was fifth with $0.26 million (-30%) on 190 playdates.
Ali G Inda House, Universal's latest film from Working Title, continued to perform solidly in the U.K. where it has grossed $12.8 million in 23 days on 394 playdates. Scorpion King opens Friday (Apr. 19) in the U.K.
WEEKEND COMPARISONS
Key films--those grossing more than $500,000--took in approximately $91.98 million, up about 7.84 percent from last year when they totaled $85.3 million. Key films this weekend were down about 12.78 percent from the previous weekend of this year's total of $105.46 million.
Last year, Dimension Films' third week of Spy Kids was first with $12.5 million at 3,172 theaters ($3,941 per theater); and Paramount's second week of Along Came A Spider was second with $11.53 million at 2,530 theaters ($4,556 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $24.0 million. This year, the top two films grossed an ESTIMATED $28.9 million.

At the exclusive Colby University a young woman lies in a coma from a drug overdose. As local sheriff Artie Bonner (Taye Diggs) investigates what happened he starts to unravel the lives of four young college coeds. Jumping back in time we meet Alicia (Mia Kirshner) who is attending Colby on financial aid and scholarships and is determined to get into law school at any cost. Hadley (Meredith Monroe) Julianne (Rachel True) and Sydney (Dominique Swain) are three of Colby's most popular girls--beautiful rich and all damaged in some way. When Alicia and Hadley are paired up for a sociology class senior thesis Hadley at first brushes away the plain Jane. But Alicia becomes persistent perhaps seeing a window of opportunity to get into law school and manages to get Hadley to accept her into the clique. The three girls introduce Alicia to a world of privilege boys--and of course drugs--and Alicia takes to this new life a little too vigorously. Soon they regret letting this supposedly meek girl into their lives especially Hadley. Somehow the trio has to stop this monster they have created.
You can't say the cast isn't at least esthetically pleasing to look at--but pretty people don't necessarily make a good film. It's a shame really because some of the actors actually have potential but have managed to suppress their good sense for this. Canadian Kirshner has made some excellent films in her native country including Atom Egoyan's 1994 Exotica but she hasn't made that jump in the United States choosing instead films such as Not Another Teen Movie. She does a fairly nice job in Friend but it's hard to shine in a bad film. She deserves better (and a new agent). True and Swain (who made an extremely convincing Lolita in Adrian Lyne's recent version of the Nabokov book) also do an adequate job with thankless parts. It's Monroe's performance that weighs the film down. The TV actress (Dawson's Creek) can't quite raise up to the level of a feature film and has very little range of emotions--and unfortunately the film centers on her. Not the best choice.
The fact that New Best Friend sat on the shelf for a few years gives you a pretty good indication of how the next few hours are going to go. It is simply a film that takes itself much too seriously. This scenario--a super-elite clique that makes over a sweet girl and eventually turns her into an uncontrollable monster who has to be stopped--has been done and done again. Yet in films like Heathers and Jawbreaker it's done with biting commentary a tongue-in-cheek look at how peers can sway behavior. In Friend we end up watching a very bad episode of Beverly Hills 90210. The lifestyle of the rich and famous in a small college town just isn't all that interesting. Relatively new director Zoe Clarke-Williams obviously needs a few more features under her belt before she can be considered as a serious director. Williams has the action moving back and forth through time so often that it's hard to follow the timeline of events. The film could have done so much more--but it just didn't.

Portrayed silver-screen B-lister Betty Ann Short in Brian De Palma's "The Black Dahlia"

First feature film, playing a dominatrix in "Love and Human Remains"

Cast in "Party Monster," the true story of Michael Alig, played by Macaulay Culkin

Summary

Playing women who led twisted lives and harbored dark secrets to perfection, Mia Kirshner displayed great emotional range in roles that often called on her to perform sexually charged scenes in films like "Love and Human Remains" (1993) as a young dominatrix and in "Exotica" (1994) as a teen stripper with a past. Kirshner took a bite out of television with appearances on the high-octane drama "24" (Fox, 2001-2010) as a hired killer and also played a once-vampire mother on the teen series "The Vampire Diaries" (The CW, 2009- ). But it was her role as Jenny Schecter, a sexually ambiguous and self-indulgent woman, on the groundbreaking series "The L Word" (Showtime, 2004-09) that made Kirshner a star. Drawing upon her many experiences portraying dysfunctional, oversexed characters, she effectively essayed a woman torn between two sexes who indiscriminately manipulates to get what she wants. In spite of her character's risqué scenes, Kirshner managed to convey a real sadness and fragility, proving she was undoubtedly one of the best and most intense actresses of her time.

Name

Role

Comments

Sheldon Kirshner

Father

Born in a displaced persons camp in Germany in 1946; met Kirshner's mother, a Bulgarian Jewish refugee, in Israel; wrote for The Canadian Jewish News